By Their Fruits You Will Know Them : Early Maori Leaders in the Mormon Church

This book follows Turning the Hearts of the Children, exploring why so many Maori in the 1880s were inspired to question the mainstream churches and flock to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormon church. Once again each chapter is written by direct descendants of a further twelve influential men and women, mostly born in the 19th century, who joined the Mormon Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and became leaders.

By Their Fruits You Will Know Themdescribes the role of rangatira Maori in the conversion of their people to this new faith whose missionaries moved humbly through communities, conversing in te reo Maori with little concern for land or colonisation but with an intense interest in whakapapa, a concept of fundamental importance to all Maori. Rather than judging Maori as faithless heathens, which happened in some quarters, this new church welcomed them as whanaunga (relatives) with whakapapa to one of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Featured in the 14 August 2017 New Zealand / Pasifika Newsletter.
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